Q&A with KG: Why Garnett hopes these Warriors stay together for the long haul

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Former NBA player Kevin Garnett smiles as he’s ready for the dedication of new basketball courts with a mural painted by local street artists at Defremery Park in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. Garnett, AND1, Oakland Parks & Rec and local students took part in then event. AND1 focus to improve court conditions for youth nationwide with its “Paint the Park” initiative. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

OAKLAND — Future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett knows a thing or two about outdoor hoops.

As a youth, he honed his skills at Springfield Park in Mauldin, South Carolina, developing into one of the best high school prospects in the country, starting at Mauldin High, then Farragut Career Academy in Chicago, where he became Illinois’ Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All American in 1995.

Now, after a 21-year NBA career, Garnett, now the host of TNT’s ‘Area 21′ is giving back. On Friday, in partnership with And-1 and Turner Sports’ Paint the Park,’ the former MVP celebrated the renovation of Oakland’s Defremery Park.

“I’ve always felt like people resonate with their area communities,” Garnett said. “I think it’s fitting that And-1’s first court refurbishing be in Oakland; representing champions, representing forwardness, progression. It’s a perfect fit for me.”

In recent years, Garnett has become a TV host. His show, “Area 21”, which debuted in 2016, has become a hit alongside “Inside the NBA,” Turner’s flagship show. Since its inception, the show has been praised for its rawness, eclectic mix of guests, and the inclusion of women, particularly from the WNBA.

We talked to Garnett about the show, Oakland, Warriors dynasties — and if this team will roll to a 3-peat now that DeMarcus Cousins has been added to the all-star mix.

Logan Murdock:You talk on your show about how Gary Payton is always pushing Oakland. Has he given you any stories of his city? And how has Oakland always resonated with you?

Kevin Garnett: Well, I’ll be honest, everybody is always like L.A., New York, Chicago, [Washington] D.C. You got to throw Oakland in there. You know, like you have your own history, your own ballers. A lot of guys been successful coming out of there. You have a talent, a crop of guys that just represents excellence. Especially the guard players. Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Brian Shaw, that’s the cream of the crop, that’s the top of it. Then you got Dame Dolla, you know coming. Dame Lillard you know he’s town business, ‘Mr. Town Business’ himself. Like just the stories, I don’t think the world really knows. Just the product that’s come out of Oakland. I’ve always been a student of the game and understood what players come from. The demographics of quality of players that come out of there, man. Some of the ones that we’ve never heard of, they’re the ones I think you hear from GP. And the celebrity that came with being king of the court. And a place like Oakland, with so much need, and so much endurance and just people of power and alpha-ness there, like progression. It’s no easy thing to come up on the basketball court and be considered the king of it, if you’re not really that. That’s something that you earn on there. I hear the stories of the Jason Kidds and the Gary Paytons and Brian Shaws coming up, and you know, Dame [Lillard], this kid who was really quiet and just coming to his own. JR Rider and Leon Powe, I mean it just goes on and on. I’m very aware of the history of Oakland.

Kevin Garnett talks to the crowd at Defremery Park in Oakland on Friday. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

LM: Since you’ve been at Turner, you’ve promoted female inclusion. Why was that so important to you?

I’m a fan. I’m a fan of the women’s game. I’m a fan of women. I’ve always been infatuated with skill. When I watch women, the first thing I pay attention to, believe it or not, is the skill level. And I’m fascinated. I can’t put any other kind of word on it. So you start there first. Knowing that I have a platform, knowing that I have daughters, knowing that I have sisters, and women’s presence in my life. It was important for me to not only shed some light on things that I love, and that’s one of the things I love. I love watching women’s basketball. I love watching women’s sports. And I think that I’m always trying to learn something. It was only right to get on stage and shed light on all of it. Not just men’s NBA, but you know, collegiate, high school, women’s. And to continue to encourage, and I don’t want to say expose, but to definitely shed light on some of these better players.

LM:Obviously, you know the Warriors added DeMarcus Cousins to an already loaded team. In 2008, you joined Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo in Boston. What is the biggest key to integrating a new star like that into the fold?

KG:You have to give a little bit. The one thing that Ray, Paul, and I all had in common is that we were hungry, and hungry for the same thing. We had all three [players] aligned with the same agenda. It wasn’t about all-stars anymore, it wasn’t about money, it wasn’t about fame, it wasn’t about notoriety. It was strictly to be remembered as a champion and how many times we can do this. It was nothing more, nothing less than that. We didn’t give a crap about anything else other than winning a championship and how many could we win? That’s the one thing we all shared. But you have to sacrifice and that’s the first thing. And if a guy can’t sacrifice it’s going to be very difficult to be able to get to the other things. You know chemistry, and understanding, and patience. You have to start somewhere and usually that’s with sacrifice.

Kevin Garnett and rapper E-40 get ready for the dedication of new basketball courts at Defremery Park in Oakland on Friday. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

LM:Do you see that happening in Golden State this year?

KG: Absolutely. I see one thing with Golden State that everybody’s not giving enough attention to is that they are professionals. And when you are champions on top of being professionals, you have a way and a system which works. DeMarcus Cousins is coming into a championship system that works. Anything he’s done up until this point is useless in a new system; he’s in something totally new. Not just about himself, but how to be a better teammate. Everything he will do in the course of this year will be better, not only for him, but his game and everything else that comes with it. I think overall it’s going to make him a better person and a better player.”

LM:The Warriors have a lot of uncertainty after this season with Kevin Durant’s future. The extensions looming extensions of Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. You kind of dealt with that in your later years in Boston, with the end of the ‘Big 3.’ How do you deal with that as an athlete, knowing that this might be one of your final runs, or that it has the possibility of doing that?

KG: Well, I’ll say this: we got dismantled because we were older. If you’re lucky you’re gonna have a couple of years. If you’re really, really lucky you can have multiple years where you have a good two- to five-year run. That’s great! You guys are young. You guys can do this for another four or five years if the guys can tolerate each other and continue to grow and progress. But in this realm a lot of guys get bored, you know they look at being someone in one place as being complacent. You know I don’t think the valuing of being with one organization is the same as it used to be. And I think that you have the liberty and opportunity to go to other teams and experience cities and experience different opportunities within those cities and markets. Which I think is dope. But when you have a dynasty I think you need to always understand you have a responsibility to that. Those guys built that. I just wouldn’t up and leave that. I wouldn’t just up and build a grand beautiful home and then after I was done with it after a couple of years, just up and leave it. You know? But that’s me. I would love to see that team stay together for longer than the usual. And make it a dynasty and talk about those days. Because 10-15 years after those guys are done playing, the world tour is going to be about how many championships they won. They could make this a storybook if they want to. But it’s up to them and the guys.

LM: There’s been a lot of movement in the league this summer. Talking about Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony. You still have the Boston and the Philly lingering in the East. Do you see a team challenging the Warriors this year?

KG: What? Listen, man, every game the Warriors play is going to be the championship Game 7 for that team. The Warriors are about to get the very best from every team that comes out every night. It’s going to be ready, it’s going to be pumped, it’s going to be super, super exciting and hyped. Hell yeah. Everybody’s fixing to challenge the Warriors. You know, they’re on top. You know how it goes when you on top, everyone wants to be the first to knock you off.

LM: How do you deal with that? Being the hunted?

KG: It depends on how you look at it. Knowing that you on top, knowing that yeah, I’m the king. You stepping on people. Everybody challenging. Like you know, when you the one that can knock everybody out, you walking through, not with your chest out, but you prepare your mindset. You know. This is how I start. You know you’re getting everybody’s best, so you’re preparing like that. You don’t think the Warriors think that when they play anybody that they gonna just come out here and lay down cause they the champs? No. If anything they coming out here harder. And they coming out here cause you got a bullseye on your back that says “Champion”. But that’s what it is. And that’s the responsibilities of being a champion. And you want that. Every player wants that. He wants your best. I want to see if you really who you say you are. Let’s line it up. Let’s see if you been working on that like you say you have.

Logan Murdock covers the Warriors for the Bay Area News Group. The Oakland native interned at Turner Sports and the Memphis Commercial Appeal and was a member of the Sports Journalism Institute's 2017 class.